Preview: United (10-6-3, ninth in the Western Conference) broke a seven-game winless streak with its victory against Portland last Saturday. NYCFC had gone six games without a victory since Aug. 12 until beating Chicago 2-0 on Wednesday to clinch a playoff spot. Despite its recent slide, NYCFC sits in third in the Eastern Conference at 15-8-8. The Loons nearly let their three points slip away, allowing Portland to score twice in the second half after building up a 3-0 lead. According to midfielder Rasmus Schuller, that’s not too shocking of an outcome. “For me, it was a normal MLS game,’’ he said. “They’re always like that. It’s very open. It’s hard to close the games in MLS. They’re always flowing back and forth.”

Quotable: “They played [Wednesday] evening, which might be an advantage to us. Obviously, we know they’ve got really good attacking pieces. David Villa, to me, is still one of the best players in the league. Maxi Moralez has great vision, a little bit like Darwin [Quintero] in the way that he plays. [Jo Inge] Berget, when he plays through the middle.” — United coach Adrian Heath on NYCFC.

Numbers: “More than a few” is how Heath characterized players on his roster who have a lot to play for in these final five games of the season. While the Loons are unlikely to make the playoffs, solidifying a spot on next year’s team is still very much in play.